Greatly troubled and frightened in his mind, the king bowed humbly at the feet of his revered teacher. With a voice trembling with emotion, he pleaded, “Forgive everything, O venerable one; I have committed no offense.” Yet, even as he spoke, he reproached himself, recognizing how his devotion had been clouded by a lack of discernment. He reflected bitterly, “One without discernment in this world is truly like a beast—there is no doubt.” Acknowledging his ignorance, he confessed, “Because I am ignorant and lack discernment, I have committed this sin. Who, having no discernment, ever attains happiness? Who, indeed, finds no distress?” Yet hope was not lost. The teacher assured him, “This will not be an endless condition; it will last for twelve years. You will regain your former state and once more enjoy this earth.” During this time, the king, afflicted by suffering, took on the dreadful form of a demoness. Her appearance was terrifying—she was dark as night and wandered alone in the desolate forest. In her monstrous hunger, she devoured birds and monkeys, even those considered most excellent. The earth itself became dreadful, adorned with the blood-stained hair of corpses and ghosts. After causing great distress, the demoness plunged deeper into the forest. Eventually, she reached the banks of the sacred Narmada, a place frequented by sages and perfected beings. There, she saw a certain sage delighting in the company of his beloved. With the swiftness of a hunter seizing a young deer, the demoness snatched him away. The sage’s wife, overcome by fear, placed her joined hands upon her head and cried out, “By granting what is dearest—life itself—fulfill my cherished desire. Do not let the demon harm me, who am helpless, in this lonely forest. Yet, O destroyer of foes, what shall I say of my young widowhood? My husband alone is my supreme kin, my highest life. O lord of people, protect me, bereft of kin, a child with no offspring. I am the daughter of the blessed one—save me by granting my husband. The wise declare thus: grant me the gift of life.” Despite her desperate pleas, the demoness, unmoved, devoured the twice-born sage, just as a tiger seizes a black antelope calf by force. Enraged by this cruelty, the sage’s wife cursed the king, who was already suffering under a previous curse. “Therefore, because of union with a woman, you too shall certainly meet death. May you surely attain the state of a demon, since my husband was devoured.” Pramanyu, filled with wrath, released a shower of embers in his anger, declaring, “For a single offense, only one curse from me is fitting. Now, together with your son, go at once to a birth among the spirits.” Hungry and with a dreadful voice, the demoness wailed terribly, surrounded by her children. They journeyed to a forest on the bank of the Narmada, a place haunted by demons. There dwelt one tormented by sorrow, acting in defiance of the world—a brahma-rakshasa, full of rage, who stood beneath a banyan tree and spoke, “By what sin, tell me truly, have such as these been born to me?” After hearing everything, the brahma-rakshasa asked, “Out of great affection for my friend, you should tell me all of this.” He then declared, “He who commits a sinful act endures torment for ten thousand ages. Therefore, a wise man should never deceive his friends.